Amid the sadness upon hearing of the passing of former US President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29, there were many fond memories of his unique contribution to the American people and humanity as a whole, much of which took place in the decades that followed his time in the White House.

On the occasion of his first major speech as NATO chief, Mark Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, did not mince his words, calling on members to “shift to a wartime mindset and turbo charge our defense production and defense spending.”

It is inconceivable that, as this year comes to an end and planet Earth completes another full circle around the sun, the war in Gaza is still raging with devastating impact after descending into a multifront war for Israel.